Harry Potter and the Symbiotic Deal
by Ryxlwyx
Summary: What if the hope of the wizarding world was saved from the Dursleys? Growing up as another person, with no need for any "help"? AU Harry Potter from a world where all was lost. Manipulated into Azkaban, giving up his Magic, his Lordship, and even his mind for the sole purpose of defeating Voldemort. After 40 years in his hellhole, Voldemort has finally lost.
1. Chapter 1

It was the end.

Voldemort sat alone in his own prison, struggling at the mental bonds in constraining him. He was still unable to understand his loss. He had manipulated the manipulator, getting Harry thrown into Azkaban immediately after ensuring his immunity from the pitiful shields that he had neglected for 13 years.

How odd that his first true victim would be his first true captor. Harry Potter, the Boy Who Lived, had been unable to destroy the Horcrux lodged inside his skull for just over 50 years. While he may have lost his form in the Battle of Hogwarts to Neville Longbottom, that was far from the end. His penultimate Horcrux had been destroyed merely an hour ago by Neville Longbottom, forcing him to run to his last resort.

Thinking back, it was a simple Confringo that had made Neville the second one able to fulfill the prophecy he fully heard almost 40 years ago…

_Flashback_

It was the easiest job he had ever been assigned, Lucius Malfoy thought. No killing, no failure, not even any problems. It only took a bit of gold to bribe the clerk in the Department of Transportation to set up an unrestricted loo between his Manor and the Ministry. They didn't even have to fight, for their Lord knew the Order had been weakened by the loss of their sole hope, sent to Azkaban a year ago. They didn't even bother putting a guard up and with memories from Nagini, they knew exactly where the prophecy was. Nott Sr., the resident Death Eater in the Department of Mysteries, was also there to guide them through the room of doors meant to confuse any outsiders.

The biggest secrets in the Department of Mysteries were all held under a Fidelius, with the Secret-Keeper being the first head of the Department. The note that was shown to all Unspeakables upon their hiring, read "The plaques holding the names to all rooms in the Department of Mysteries are next to the doors opposite those which they pertain to." They were called Unspeakables as they could not tell anyone about their work, protected by their contract forbidding them to talk about their work to anyone not also bound by the same contract. It was truly an amazing lapse in security that there was no restriction on actions.

The two waited by the Floo in Malfoy's office for their allies to arrive. Goyle Sr., Crabbe Sr., and Fenrir Greyback had also been assigned to help protect the Unspeakable and to guard the rooms against cleaners during the mission. While they were merely an extra precaution, they were honoured to have been picked for such a mission. In reality, Crabbe and Goyle Sr. were only there because they had sworn their houses to the Malfoy house in exchange for financial reasons that were in fact caused by the Malfoy house for this very purpose. Fenrir was the only one there of his own merit, sent exclusively for the purpose of turning any assailants into werewolves if necessary.

Their constraints were simple: no noise, minimal contact, retrieval of the prophecy, and no evidence left behind. While they could use Terego, the cleaning charm, it would leave a trail of magical use that gave everything away. Instead, they opted to rub an ointment on themselves that almost completely prevented hair from falling out, but the chance that a single hair could fall would mean their certain exposure if ever caught. They were to have no reason to be caught, and have no excuse if caught as motivation

.

Within half an hour, they had all arrived. With a nod from Lucius, all of the Death Eaters donned their masks as Fenrir morphed into his predator form. While it was painful to watch, they all knew they had to stay for the werewolf form to recognize them and restrain himself from killing or turning them. They were all resigned to this fact and watched as his bones and skin were contorted, his tail appearing from his spine, and his clothes being shredded by the size change.

Once Greyback had stabilized, Lucius ran a test by trying to pull a hair off of each of them. While Greyback was susceptible to having hairs fall out or be removed, those hairs turned to ash upon touching another solid object: Lucius's hands, the floor, even other hairs of his own. Satisfied, Lucius nodded and took out the more... specific instructions.

The instructions read: "_A prophecy orb is to be removed along with the shelf it rests upon from the end of row 97. Nobody is to know that you are there or even that our unspeakable was there. If any harm comes to yourselves or the prophecy, your heads will be mounted alongside your family's._"

Malfoy nodded and passed the paper to Nott. After reading the instructions, he nodded with a somewhat surprised and pleased look on his face. They waited for Fenrir to calm down and test for observers the non-magical way.

It was done. The werewolf sniffed the air and nodded with near-human intelligence. All was clear outside. The party slipped out of the office and made their way to the Ninth floor of the Ministry: The floor containing the Department of Mysteries.

Along the way, they very nearly ran into two cleaning house-elves and converted one security wizard, fast asleep at his post. The recruit shuddered through the transformation, then stood straight as he was taken over by Greyback's bite. The party continued, arriving at the department in under twenty minutes.

Nott's reason for looking pleased soon grew evident as he returned from his office with not only the prophecy in question, but multiple others concerning the Potter boy and their Lord.

Malfoy was extremely pleased. Not only was the heist an overwhelming success, but they had also acquired multiple other prophecies and gotten a new recruit to boot. Malfoy would be getting most of the credit, being the team leader, and he was also happy that his family could survive another generation without outside help.

As they Flooed back to their base of operations, Malfoy Manor, they were all feeling the high of a completed mission and were all busy imagining the repercussions this would have in their plans for the future.

_End Flashback_

"IT WAS ALL PERFECT!" Voldemort raged inside his mental prison. Though he raged his hardest, he still couldn't even get out of the Potter boy's head. The mental arms race of Legilimency and Occlumency had led to the boy going to some extreme lengths, even making the inside of his mental fortress a prison. Even in his sleep, the boy was constraining the most powerful Dark Lord of all time and succeeding.

He thought back to his conquests and all of his victims. He smiled, remembering all of their painful deaths. He grimaced, remembering his own along with the others. Using the rage and pleasure it brought him, he used his last ace up his sleeves._ "Tenebris angelus!" _he shouted, drawing upon his wandless magic reserves to finally break through the barrier. A blank black rectangle appeared before him. A line of text appeared before him, with letters as big as his hand imprinting themselves on the screen.

But nobody came

His rage finally woke Harry, realizing the activity of the Horcrux was far beyond its usual levels, normally just distracting him from the dementors circling his cell, the final remnant of what used to be Azkaban. Sighing, he entered his mindscape to see the Horcrux raging at his standard response box.

Smiling, Harry removed the box and appeared in its place. It took the Horcrux only a few seconds to realize that it was no longer alone. Swiftly, Harry constrained the Horcrux and set up a mental study. "Welcome back, Tom," Harry said. "Having trouble?" He asked innocently.

"Let me go now, Potter, and I might spare you a sliver of control over this mind when I take it over. I am Lord Voldemort and I cannot be defeated by anyone, no matter how powerful they are. Spare yourself the misery."

"Bold words for a man on his last legs," Harry said. "A shame that you aren't your full self. The only part you didn't retain post-destruction was the diary, right? Besides, if you'll keep calling me Potter, I'll need to create a true name for you. I like Tom, Shard, or Ghost. Which will it be?"

Voldemort hissed. "I was never any of those."

"You were Tom once, and you were but a Ghost after your failed attempt on my life. But you are a Shard of your former self now. That'll have to do. Who was it?"

The memories rushed back to the front of his mind. The Confringo, the years of maintaining his losses to the rebellion headed by Neville Longbottom. The final duel, where neither wand responded to the owner's commands and the boy, realizing this first, moved in to brawl the muggle way. The slow death by asphyxiation, the look of triumph in his eyes during his opponent's last breath.

Shard screamed in pain. His mind was being skimmed by the Potter boy.

"So it was Neville. Fate does seem to work in mysterious ways sometimes."

Shard, coming back to his senses, seethed. "You dared break into my mind? When I take over this body, I will vanquish your soul more efficiently than the dementor's kiss ever could. There will be nothing left to mourn. You will suffer beyond all … "

Harry cut him off with a pulse of magic. "I have a deal to offer you. You will give me all of your memories, knowledge, and training, and I will give you a painless end. Deal?"

Shard was shocked. "Never."

Harry was unsurprised. "Very well then. I'll just have to do it myself. You know I can, and you will suffer for the duration. What will it be, Shard?"

" R."

"Imagine the pain if I fully break in, to take even muscle memory from your soul."

Shard hesitated.

"And as long as you resist, your pain will worsen. It will continue for months or years before I finish and eject you from my mind."

There was a pause.

Voldemort broke.

"If I help you, would you be content with transferring me to a snake? I will not die at the hands of… you"

Harry smiled. "Of course. As Nagini is dead, do you have a preference?"

"No. Just one far away from Azkaban."

Harry stood. "Always a pleasure, Shard. Lower your barriers and let's get this over with."

_Three Hours Later… _

Harry retracted his hand from Shard's "head." "It is done," Harry announced. "Please enjoy the rest of your stay in my mind. I will now look through your memories to confirm my knowledge of the procedure."

Shard smiled sardonically. "A pleasure doing business with you, Potter."

Harry Lifted back to the real world.

The dementors had gone, abandoning the prison after their Lord's death. Harry smiled in relief. He dispelled his Patronus and went to work finding the way to rid himself of Shard. He entered his mindscape again.

"I am ready. The snake I have chosen for you is an old acquaintance of mine, currently living in South America."

Shard grimaced. "Get it over with."

The air around Shard started to glow as Harry chanted in Latin. Shard felt himself leave Harry and be shot across the Atlantic Ocean.

He was finally free, but that didn't matter. He had a mission to complete. Several hours later, he had regained all of the Deathly Hallows. Suddenly, they started changing, each becoming a part of him. The true invisibility cloak melded to his skin, replacing it, healing all wounds from his many battles over the years. The Ressurection Stone became a replacement for his missing right eye, lost in the battle with the True Snake. Unfortunately, it was the only wound unaffected by the healing tears of Fawkes. The Elder wand holstered itself in the flesh of his right arm. Finally, his scar was changed from a lightning bolt to one resembling the Deathly Hallows.

He marvelled at the changes. He had become stable of mind and soul again, the Resurrection Stone "resurrecting" his soul from the eventual leeching by Dementor and his mind from the very depths of his own, banished there years ago by Lockhart, under orders from Dumbledore.

It was a wonderful feeling, having his mind back again. He had only been functioning on a fraction of his true capacities, and his mindscape was suffering from it. The mental shock from the freeing of his mind was enormous. The very structure of his mind threatened to collapse. His conscience waited, hoping that it would not have to work on repairs before even working.

Finally, it stopped shaking. He mentally moved to the memory room and went through all of the memories taken, hidden, and removed from this part of the mind. Unsurprisingly, it was much bigger than his current stash of memories.

Several hours later, Harry had finished. While he was disgusted with himself, he was also aware of the compulsions and bindings that had been placed on him since his parents had died, refreshed and added upon by his eternal torturers, Lockheart and Dumbledore, every week since his fight with the True Snake.

He'd need to remove them at some point, but he was willing to wait a while longer. He apparently was being moved in his physical form. He returned to the forefront of his own mind.

There was a woman there, dressed in green and black. Harry' first thought was that Narcissa Malfoy had somehow survived the raids following the final Battle with Voldemort. Upon closer inspection, however, he saw the differences. This woman was much taller, had an aura that felt like Death itself.

The only giveaway was the skintight outfit. Narcissa would never deem to wear something so tight and potentially revealing, always having preferred the classic wizard robes. No, this woman was definitely _not_ Narcissa Malfoy.

The woman stood up. "Finally, you're awake. I was getting bored of just waiting here. I am Death."

"Harry Potter," He replied absentmindedly. "Wait, Death? Why are you here? I'm not dead yet, am I?"

Death Chuckled. "No, Master. You are merely injured. If you wish, I will bring you to safety immediately. That, after all, is my biggest priority. If you were to die, I could not reach ascendancy."

Harry looked shocked. He ran through his new memories for reasons why he had Death calling him her master. Only one memory made even a bit of sense to him.

"So the story wasn't a lie. By claiming the Deathly Hallows…"

"One shall become the Master of Death." Death completed.

Harry winced. "Can I call you something other than Death? It just sounds… wrong."

Death smiled. "Certainly, Master. I have been known by many names throughout time. I would prefer Grim, Letum, Thanatos, or Hela. However, as my Master, you can change my appearance or name whenever you want. However, I shall be most powerful in the form and name you first choose for me. It is all a matter of preference."

Harry's head was spinning. There was too much to handle, to do right now. "I like Hela. Please take me somewhere safe. I'll get better soon."

Hela chuckled. "A you wish, Master." Hela snapped her fingers.

_**Three days later… **_

Hela stood, waiting for her Master to awaken from her magically-induced healing sleep. It was curious that he had chosen to come now. In her universe, she had just been imprisoned after her father, Odin, had decided that she was too much of a threat to be allowed to even be confined to Asgard. The thought of everyone panicking as she had disappeared brought a smile to her lips.

"If only they knew," Hela said.

"If they knew what?" Harry asked. While he had just awakened, he had spent most of the time reorganizing his mind, controlling his magic, and creating an alternate version of himself. "About me?"

Hela laughed. "Close guess, Master. I was actually thinking of their reaction when they realized I had disappeared. In my current universe, I am imprisoned after having been too efficient of a warrior."

Harry grinned. "And you escaped? I should have expected you to be able to Apparate…" His voice trailed off. "Did you say alternate universe? Hermione was talking about that a while ago. She said that it was likely but the power required to travel between them was way more than even what Dumbledore was able to do. Are you… Am I really…"

Hela was surprised at her patience. "Yes, Harry. You are really my Master. I don't know what you mean by Apparate, but I can travel through shadows. It is a unique trait in my universe, but you should be able to do so as my Master. I would never have been able to escape while my father was alive, but the call of my Master is more powerful than even his strongest protections and guards."

Harry was confused, but relieved that he was actually able to control Death. He had easily a thousand questions, but he now had better control than when he had been an arrogant Gryffindor. "Do I exist in your universe? I know it's unlikely, but it could be possible…" He trailed off.

Hela closed her eyes. While her universe was easily a thousand years behind her Master's, she could clearly see his future life.

It was… troublesome to say the best. Checking against the current universe, she paled. It was a miracle that he had survived this long, even as her Master. Universe after universe, it was almost exactly the same tale.

They had all died. Killed by, almost invariably, by Voldemort, by the Dursleys, by the Weasleys, by Dumbledore, and even Hermione Granger. For his lordships, for his money, for the Dark Lord, even for not responding to Dumbledore quickly enough in one particularly horrible dimension.

"You should be dead. Not even one of the Harrys in the other dimensions survived past that age of 25. How, or better yet, why," Hela cried, torn between sorrow for the infinite other deaths of her Master. "Are you still alive!"

Harry groaned. "This is going to take a while."

_**Thirteen hours later… **_

Hela frowned. Her Master had just shown her the wonders of magic, but there was something wrong. It seemed… weakened, restrained. Unsure, Hela asked her master of it.

"Harry?"

"Yes, Hela?"

"Your magic is… off. It seems weakened, like there is something blocking it or something leeching it away. Is that normal?"

Harry was shocked. He had never before noticed anything, but something had seemed off for a while now. However, he had absorbed a way to check.

"I can find out, but I'll need parchment and an obsidian dagger… " The items immediately appeared in front of him, along with two chairs. "Where are we? I probably should have asked this earlier, but… "

"I don't know. I took you to a place that you knew was safe. If it helps, the building started changing when you arrived and we are now a good… 4000 feet in the air."

Harry was unnerved. He hadn't even noticed that he wasn't firmly on the ground. "I'll just… do this then." He sliced his palm, letting seven drops of blood fall onto the paper. Immediately, the words started forming on the parchment, words the exact same green as his eyes.

_Previous blood tests: 0_

_Name:_

_Hadrian Jasmine Potter-Black_

_Born:_

_July 31st, 1980, Godric's Hollow, England_

_Parents:_

_James Hadrian Potter (Birth father)_

_Lily Arianna Potter nee Evans (Birth mother)_

_Sirius Orion Black (Blood Adopted Father, July 31st, 1980)_

_Hela Død (Magically Adopted Mother, October 31, 2045)_

_Titles:_

_Lord and Founder of the Most Ancient and Noble Family Ravenclaw (Acquired October 31, 204)_

_Lord of the Ancient and Noble Family Potter (birth)_

_Lord of the Ancient and Noble Family Black (blood adoption)_

_Goblin Friend (Earned August 10, 1994)_

_Master of Death (Earned October 31, 2045)_

_Lord of the Ancient and Noble Family Peverell (Acquired October 31, 2045)_

_Vaults:_

_Potter Trust Vault - 8,340 Galleons, 14 Sickles, 9 Knuts_

_Potter Family Vaults - 12,435,739 Galleons, 9 Sickles, 25 Knuts; 134 magical artifacts_

_Black Family Vaults - 69,546,039 Galleons, 15 Sickles, 1 Knut; 457 magical artifacts and 1476 books_

_Ravenclaw Family Vault - 1,000,000,000,000 Galleons, 1 Sickle, 1 Knut; 11643 magical artifacts_

_Ravenclaw Family Library Vault - 1 Knut; 45,378,392 books and counting_

_Peverell Family Vaults - 81,746,301 Galleons, 13 sickles, 28 Knuts; 1006 magical artifacts and 1920 books_

_Død Vault - 3 magical artifacts and 4 books_

_Magical abilities and blocks:_

_Core magic – Grey-Dark (95% blocked, Albus Dumbledore, November 1st, 1981)(Adapted _

_October 31, 2045; previously 45% blocked)_

_Parseltongue (Partial Block, Albus Dumbledore, November 1st, 1981)_

_Parselmagic (Blocked, Albus Dumbledore, November 1st, 1981) _

_Wandless magic (Blocked, Albus Dumbledore, November 1st, 1981)_

_Wordless magic (Blocked, Albus Dumbledore, November 1st, 1981)_

_Magic Sense (Blocked, Albus Dumbledore, November 1st, 1981)_

_Eidetic memory (Blocked, Albus Dumbledore, November 1st, 1981)_

_Natural Legilimens (Blocked, Albus Dumbledore, November 1st, 1981)_

_Hereditary blood magic (Blocked, Albus Dumbledore, November 1st, 1981)_

_Technomage (Undiscovered)_

_Edictic tongue (Undiscovered)_

_Animagus (Undiscovered)_

_Touch of Death (Undiscovered)_

_Properties:_

_House Number 14, Godric's Hollow, England_

_Potter Manor, Oxfordshire, England_

_12 Grimmauld Place, London, England_

_Black Manor, Wiltshire, England_

_Raven's Perch, Isle of Skye, Scotland_

_Villa du Soleil, St Tropez, France_

_Peverell Manor, Edinburgh, Scotland_

_Magical bonds:_

_Soulbond - Luna Hollow Lovegood (Blocked, Albus Dumbledore, November 1st, 1981)_

_Magical compulsions/enchantments:_

_Blood Glamour (James Potter)(Albus Dumbledore, November 1st, 1981)_

_Loyalty Keyed to Albus Dumbledore (Albus Dumbledore, November 1st, 1981)_

_Obedience Keyed to Albus Dumbledore (Albus Dumbledore, November 1st, 1981)_

_Loyalty Keyed to Gryffindor House (Albus Dumbledore, July 31st, 1991)_

_Loyalty Keyed to the Order of the Phoenix (Albus Dumbledore, July 31st, 1991)_

_Loyalty Keyed to Ronald Weasley (Albus Dumbledore, July 31st, 1991)_

_Loyalty Keyed to Ginevra Weasley (Albus Dumbledore, July 31st, 1991)_

_Loyalty Keyed to Molly Weasley (Albus Dumbledore, July 31st, 1991)_

_Distrust Keyed to Slytherin House (Albus Dumbledore, July 31st, 1991)_

_Distrust Keyed to Severus Snape (Albus Dumbledore, July 31st, 1991)_

_Shame Compulsion Keyed to Home Life (Albus Dumbledore, July 31st, 1991)_

_Recklessness Charm (Albus Dumbledore, September 1st, 1991)_

_Anti-authority Charm (Albus Dumbledore, September 1st, 1991)_

_Selflessness Charm (Albus Dumbledore, September 1st, 1991)_

_Loyalty Keyed to Hermione Granger (Albus Dumbledore, October 31st, 1991)_

_Other controlling factors:_

_Love Potion Keyed to Ginevra Weasley (Amortentia)(Albus Dumbledore, Molly Weasley, _

_September 1st, 1993)_

Hela was sitting patiently, waiting for her master to finish reading his results and possibly reveal them to her. Instead, she felt the air thicken with an energy that she had come to recognize as his magic. This time, however, it felt angrier. The magic was swirling, waiting for a target to strike at. Slowly, Hela pulled out a shield.

"Harry?"

He turned around, his good eye blazing. It was a green fire, one she had come to match to the green light from many of the recent fallen in her current dimension. Unlike the others, however, this fire was burning from his eye, rising to the side in a pattern like flame blowing in the wind.

Harry was not happy. He had just found out that his whole life had been a lie, that he had been controlled, manipulated, his body itself suppressed by magic. When Hela called his name, he was too far gone to think. He was ready to destroy anything that stood in his way.

His vision had tinged green. He took a deep breath. Slowly, the magical fire retracted into his eye, still ready to burst out at a moment's notice.

"Yes, Hela?"

Hela stood still for a moment. She was not sure whether or not he would attempt to kill her or answer her. "Were those results… bad by any chance?"

Harry laughed. The so-called "Black madness" was starting to get to him.

"Define wrong, Hela. Is a blood glamour wrong? Is a 95% block on my core wrong?is having my very life and decisions controlled wrong? Is having my soulbond blocked wrong!"

He threw the paper at her. His arm felt sluggish. He was definitely going to… pass… out…

Hela caught him. It wasn't hard. 40 years in Azkaban really took a lot out of someone, and it showed. He weighed just barely more than he had in the month before he started going to Hogwarts. Besides, she had some practice, having had to catch her Master the past few days.

It was odd, however, being able to touch a human without their immediate death.

The room, sensing the lord of the House's needs, opened a door to the library. Stepping through, Hela's jaw dropped open.

The Ravenclaw Library was massive, bigger than any other ever created. She had certainly been in bi libraries before, though not of this size. On one wall, there were easily over a thousand books with quills scribbling away in them. She would later come to learn that they were monitoring the current magical books being written by every author. In the muggle version of the library, there were over ten thousand times as many quills, working away until the real-life writer

stopped writing.

As Hela watched in the magical library, a book titled Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them:

Edition 84 detached itself from the wall, flying over to a section titled "Magical Creatures". Soon, however, another sight drew her gaze. A book was floating through the library, entitled The Goblin's Guide to Magical Rituals: English Translation. Landing on a nearby table, the book opened to a page entitled "Final Cleansing". Hla took a seat, making sure her Master was comfortable in a nearby one. She cracked open the book and read about the ritual.

_Final Cleansing_

_This ritual is only to be used to remove a number of magical blocks or charms greater than that of other rituals. While this ritual can remove any and all enchantments, it can sometimes cause irreversible trauma to the patient. This ritual is otherwise generally to be used as a last resort if the patient is about to die from a loss of magic or from an otherwise incurable poison. The Final Cleansing will remove curse magic and scars as well, though whether or not it can remove a Horcrux is still in question. To perform this ritual, the patient is to be enclosed in clay (not including the head) and have them bring their magic to the surface. If they are unable, bring their magic to the surface using more potent potion ingredients such as thestral hair. The magic should imprint the clay with all of the blocks/compulsions/charms in place on the patient. To remove them, merely wipe over the clay where the problem has been imprinted. This process should take up to an hour depending upon the number of blocks/compulsions/charms that are being removed from the patient. There should be other items imprinted on the clay that should __**NOT **__be tampered with at risk of harming the patient. _

Hela kept reading. The ritual seemed risky, but it would help her Master and she could ensure that he would stay alive if need be. Finishing reading the more specific instructions, she woke her Master.

"Master, I have found a way to help."

Harry groaned. He really needed to stop passing out. If he was to control death, he would need to always be aware of his surroundings.

"What is it, Hela?"

"Master, this ritual should be able to rid you of all blocks, compulsions, and enchantments. Give me the word, and I will rid you of your bonds."

Harry was relieved. He would finally be free.

"Do it."


	2. Chapter 2

"_Do it."_

"Master… "

"What, Hela?"

"I have no magic. Is there someone you trust to help you? A friend, a servant, one of the goblins maybe?"

Harry thought. He had never had to suspect any of his friends before, but now he had reason to doubt them. After all of the compulsions, he didn't know who he could trust.

"I might have a house-elf or two… Kreacher?"

A faint pop sounded nearby, telltale of an apparating house-elf. Kreacher was not doing so well after 40 years. He was sickly thin, with hair finally turned white. Just by looking at him, Hela could tell that he would die this year if he remained unbound, and would maybe last another 10 if he bound himself to a wizard again. When he spoke, his voice was raspy, as if he had not drunk water in the last 40 years.

"The half-blood finally realizes his duty, yes, but almost too late for poor Kreacher. And for his new choice of company…"

Kreacher stopped talking as he looked at the auras of his new company. The woman's aura was black, darker than any he had seen before. Most interestingly, she had no magical core. However, she was bound to his master, who… Kreacher had a double take.

His master's core was being leeched away by several enchantments, sapping his core and tying it to others, disguised by glamours and another, more treacherous block only visible to house elves. While rare, it was one of the most painful things one could do to a wizard: perverting their magic by artificially changing their core.

Seeing through the binding, his master's true magic was as black as the woman's aura. Even as he looked, he could feel himself becoming used to the magic. Hoping for the best, Kreacher sent out a request to bond.

Harry stiffened. It felt like something was probing his magic. Following it, he sensed that it was from Kreacher. One look in his eyes and Harry knew that he was trying to bond. Seeing him and knowing how House-elves functioned, he accepted the request.

Hela looked on in amazement as Kreacher slowly grew muscles back, as his hair darkened a few shades, even as he grew a few inches. The bond was clearly helping him recover from the 30 years spent without a master. Shaking her head, Hela decided to speak.

"Kreacher, we require your help to rid my Master of a blood glamour."

Kreacher turned. This woman was not his bonded. However, she had referred to his master as her master. It was a small struggle in his head, deciding whether or not to listen to the woman. Unfortunately, if his master was in need of aid, he was bound to help him in any way possible.

Kreacher sighed.

"Is there a runic circle for cleansing anywhere on the property? No, of course, there won't be. Half-bloods have no sense, no need for 'security'."

Sighing, Harry turned around. The path to the room of requirement was still open, waiting with a newly made runic circle imprinted in the stone floor.

As they walked back through, Kreacher began to smile. His new master was even more prepared than the Black family.

Harry groaned in pain. He had thought that the ritual with the clay would have been the only one necessary, but apparently, it was changing his bone structure. That would have caused rifts in the clay, almost ending the ritual entirely.

He shuddered in pain again, growing another inch taller. This ritual also corrected the damage done to him by the Dursleys, the stunting of his growth

Kreacher, however, was suffering immensely. He was deliberately causing pain to his bonded, causing him to experience the same pain. However, he just used this as motivation to work faster. Ten seconds later, it was done. Harry was a new man, several inches taller with even brighter green eyes and flatter, shorter hair.

"Well, that was painful. How about we wait before we do the full cleanse?" Harry said in a raspy voice. Harry shook his head. "Well, maybe after I get some water. Maybe after a nap… "

Hela nodded, soon followed by Kreacher. The ritual was draining his energy, and he would have fallen asleep if not for the pain and thirst. Kreacher, seeing this, gave his bonded a bucket of ice water over the head.

"AAAAH!"

His voice was still new, and it cracked several times through the short scream.

Hela chuckled. "A very manly scream, Master."

Harry grimaced.

"Okay, I'm ready. Just… don't do anything without my input on the next ritual."

_Five minutes later… _

The clay was annoying, but Harry was able to deal with it. Coating his arms and legs, he was unable to move without truly focusing on moving. It was relaxing though, just being able to lie down. Slowly, he brought his magic to the surface. All sorts of traits and numbers began appearing on his new shell.

With great care, Hela and Kreacher started removing the blocks and compulsions.

"Love potion?"

"Remove it."

"Parselmagic block?"

"Could be useful later"

After a while, Harry was getting tired of this. It had been almost an hour of fluff, but then they reached the core.

"Master?"

Harry looked down, wondering why Hela was surprised.

"What is a normal magical core size?"

Harry focused on the numbers.

_Core - Grey-Dark _

_Current Capacity: 37 M_

_Maximum Capacity: 150 M_

_Bind: 95%; Albus Dumbledore_

_Bind: Wand-based Magic_

_Bind: Aura; Albus Dumbledore_

"Well well, this should be interesting. Kreacher?"

"Yes, master?"

"You see that 37 M there?"

"Of course, Master. My eyesight hasn't failed yet."

"Can you change it instantly?"

A spark appeared in all eyes present.

/5Teg92EVqRPB1FLx5


	3. Chapter 3

"_Can you change it instantly?"_

_A spark appeared in all eyes present._

"I can't. However, it should only be a fraction of a second without master having any of his magic. The pain will be proportional to the amount lost."

Hela was visibly saddened at Kreacher's words. It had been such a good idea, but She didn't think the pain to her Master was worth the overall increase.

Harry, however, was racing ideas through his mind faster than he ever had before. If the pain was proportional to the amount of magic he had, he simply needed to drain the rest of his magic. Well, strike that. No pain, no gain was a lesson that Shard had learned very well, according to the memories he had gained.

"If it causes pain to lose my magic, then we should either increase the size of the block or have me perform a ritual to drain almost all of it," Harry said with finality.

Hela straightened. How had this not occurred to her? Her Master was already drained, as she had seen on the clay. However, there was something nagging at the back of her mind.

"We also need to increase the capacity, Kreacher, or our Master will not be able to handle the increase. If we can immediately, The rune sequence is very short." Keeping her hand still, she inscribed the sequence, ᚱᛈ, on the clay.

Harry gasped in pain. For a second, it seemed like he had lost any stamina, was ready to burn up immediately from the uncontrolled magic flowing through his veins. Now, however, he felt empty, as though he had not just been full of magic ready to burn him up. Looking at the runes, he frowned. Seeing his expression, Hela explained the runes.

"The first one is _radio, _and it represents the journey. The other is _pertho_, and what it represents is more fluid. Some see it as a cup that dice have just been thrown from, Some see it as a container, but here it is completely different. My favourite interpretation is that of a cup waiting to be filled. In combination with the _radio,_ Your capacity is now something that can never be filled, no matter how much you put in. I recommend the increase and then the block removal as I suspect the percentage will stay the same through the change.

Your regeneration rate, however, will be two of the _uruz _rune. This rune stands for life force, physical health, courage, healing, vigour, and endurance. Some other interpretations are determination, luck, and brutality. This will give you a faster regeneration period,

Harry looked at Hela in a new light. She had just come into the magical world, but she was already smarter than most he had known and had come to that conclusion without any help. Even Hermione had had to look in a book to find answers.

That reminded him, after all of this he had to go see them and have a chat about the compulsions and love potion. Telling Hela to wait subconsciously, he sent an owl to the Weasleys, letting them know that he had escaped and wanted to meet with his old friends. Suddenly, an idea about the magical blocks occurred to him.

Jumping back to the present, Harry stiffened. Running through the idea, Harry grinned.

"Okay. Kreacher, increase the block to a point where under a hundredth of a Makt remains. Also, set the regeneration to stasis. After that, Hela, change the core Makt to a 9 raised to half the remaining space of tightly packed ones, with that raised to the remaining space filled with tightly packed ones. We'll go on from there. We can optimize it later. I'll also want a way to mask my magic or control it. We have removed the blocks on wandless magic, but all some control buffs there too."

Just a few seconds later, the block read:

_Core - Grey-Dark _

_Current Capacity: 0.001 M_

_Regeneration Rate: Stasis_

_Maximum Capacity: _ᚱᛈ

_Bind: __0.999996666667__%; Albus Dumbledore & Kreacher (Black Family House-Elf)_

_Ability: Magic Masking_

_Ability: Enhanced Magic Control_

_Ability: Magical Occlumency_

Harry raised an eyebrow. Hela truly never ceased to amaze him with her mind. About to praise her, Harry felt the drain. He slurred "Noowwww… " as he fell into a magical coma.

Hela looked at Kreacher. He had passed out as well. Holding the enchanted awl carefully, she made a last-second decision to replace the nine she was going to write with three ones. Immediately, Harry woke up. Hela quickly bound him to the table. She kept writing ones, packing the space. After the second, Kreacher seemed to de-age even more and woke up. He immediately Apparated away to avoid the possible death he would have faced.

Hela, however, was already dead and could not die. In addition, Hela found her Master's magic intoxicating. She kept writing. By the eighth one, Hela would have died. By the eleventh, the ward stones for the flying fortress were being powered by him alone. Hela took a break before raising the power again.

Harry was grinning in anticipation. It was all of the exhilaration of using magic combined with a lack of tiredness. He was aware that he had transcended his previous power by levels previously unimaginable. **(A/N: Calculations, for those of you who want to know: I had to use WolframAlpha. 111^111111111111111111111111111111) **Knowing there was still more to go, the world wouldn't know what hit it.

30 ones later, and Harry was forcing himself to use his newfound "Magical Occlumency" to keep himself from accidentally hurting someone or destroying the world. With a mere thought, he used his magic to create a form of harnessing itself. **(A/N: 111^111111111111111111111111111111^111111111111111111111111111111)**

The text on his chest now read:

_Core - Grey-Dark _

_Current Capacity: _111^111111111111111111111111111111^111111111111111111111111111111

_Regeneration Rate: _ᚢᚢ

_Maximum Capacity: _ᚱᛈ

_Bind: __0.999996666667__%; Albus Dumbledore & Kreacher (Black Family House-Elf)_

_Ability: Magic Masking_

_Ability: Enhanced Magic Control_

_Ability: Magical Occlumency_

_Ability: Magical Sentience_

After a few hours of practice, he was distracted by Hela screaming, falling to the floor, and writhing in pain. Seeing this, Harry rushed over to her.

"Hela! Are you okay? What's happening?"

"Odin… summoning… permission... "

Realizing what she meant, Harry swore. "You can go. You don't need to ask me for permission for this if you're being summoned. We also need to keep up the cover, so please, Hela, go back."

Hela was instantly taken away.

Walking through the flying fortress, Harry wondered what to do. He was surrounded by all these books, and one had floated up to him: the family grimoire. Opening it, he was pulled into his mindscape. The book was there as well, but this time it disappeared when he opened it, the knowledge flowing into his mind like Shard's memories had.

He was in the Ravenclaw ancestral home, a "normal" manor that could fly and was filled with every book ever written, magical or muggle. There was only a single spell with a description. It gave the caster the knowledge of all of the books in a library, without repeat, instantaneously. Realizing he was still under some blocks, Harry called Kreacher to finish the job.

When Kreacher arrived, Harry was thoroughly surprised. He had known that house-elves mirrored the state of their masters, but Kreacher had actually de-aged a good thirty years since the ritual.

Shaking this off, Harry asked Kreacher to remove the remaining blocks but to leave the core bind for now. It would definitely prove to be a shock to the Weasleys and Hermione if they truly had less then honourable intentions.

Within another thirty seconds, Harry now had natural, mental, and magical Occlumency at a level previously unheard of, ready to take on the largest library in history.

"_Scientiam meam,_" He intoned. The knowledge flowed into his head into the replica library he had created. This library, however, was a computer that translated all languages and even updated the English tongue. He merely had to think and all of the books related to the subject he had thought about would appear in front of him in his mind. Much like the grimoire, he could absorb these books with a mere touch.

Thinking no more about that other than to mentally absorb everything in the background, he thought of Apparating. Several dozen books appeared in his mind, one describing an equally accurate way that was practiced before the Albion Laws of Magic had effectively banned it; Shadow Walking.

Harry spent the next couple hours going through all of the books on Shadow Magic, even testing out some of the spells and seeing some of the flaws. Wanting to improve these flaws caused the entire Arithmancy section to appear in front of him in his mindscape. Absorbing the books, he tried the spells again, this time creating several minor improvements and one major improvement. Finally, Harry fell through his own shadow, practicing the skill until it was almost second nature.

Choosing one near the Burrow, Harry appeared in the nearby forests of the Lovegood home. Changing his mind, Harry turned and knocked on the door to the house. An older Luna opened it, her ever-present smile widening when she saw him.

"Welcome back, Harry. You finally found out."

"Luna, I… "

"We both know what you must do, Harry. You need to confront your past."

Harry nodded.

"Is your father still alive?"

"He passed away years ago. It's been just me for a while."

Harry smiled. Calling upon his power as the Master of Death, Harry brought a dementor to the house. It truly was amazing that he could stand so close and not fear for his life. Slowly, he removed the soul of the dementor and replaced it with one that left this realm a long time ago: Pandora Lovegood, Luna's mom.

The dementor slowly changed into the form the soul requested, wiping away the shroud and revealing a young woman with Luna's exact blonde hair. She fell to one knee before Harry.

"Rise, Pandora. I have brought you here to protect your daughter while I am away. You may draw upon your inherent powers or my core at any time. Treat her as you would if you were still alive. She is your daughter."

The ex-Dementor nodded. Luna, finally getting over her shock, hugged Harry and then her reincarnated mother. Harry returned the hug, said his goodbyes, and turned towards the Weasley house.

A few minutes later, he arrived. He stopped himself just before knocking on the door. Conjuring a mirror, he realized that it was a miracle that Luna recognized him at their earlier meeting. His clothes were torn, he looked so different after the blood glamour was lifted, and he hadn't bathed in a good 40 years.

After a second of thought, Harry banished his "clothes", replacing them with fabric seemingly pulled from his own shadow. A quick Scourgify cleaned his body, and he applied a glamour that changed his features enough that it was reasonable that he changed to this after 40 years away.

Satisfied, he knocked on the door.

After some grumbling from inside, George opened the door. His jaw dropped.

"Are you… Harry?"

Harry pulled him into a hug.

"George. Is Fred here?"

With that, George gripped Harry tighter and started crying.

"Dead… 35 years… " He gasped out in between his sobs. Harry pulled back.

"I want to make a deal, George. I can bring him back. Just… don't break down."

George nodded. Harry repeated the process from earlier, this time with Fred's soul. The new Fred, too, fell to one knee before Harry.

"Rise, Fred Weasley. Join your brother, and continue the life you led before you lost it 35 years ago."

The Ex-dementor rose, hugging his twin.

"Let's go inside. I bet they can't wait to see me again," Fred said. The three turned and walked into the dining room. All activity stopped. An older Molly Weasley slowly approached them.

"Fred? George? Is he… am I… How?"

Fred laughed, the sound cutting through the silence.

"I am Fred, and you have only Harry to thank for this."

All eyes turned to Harry.

Ron was the first to speak.

"Harry, mate… what happened? How'd you do that? Are you okay?"

Harry chuckled, bringing the tension back to the room. It truly was amazing, that Ron was keeping up the facade so well.

"I came into some new abilities recently, Ron. After 40 years, you make some friends. If those friends can control souls, well… They can put one into another Dementor and, to all effect, bring someone back to life. Before you stands the soul of Fred Weasley, inhabiting the body of one of the many Dementors assigned to torture me these past 40 years."

It was at this point that Arthur Weasley, Ginny, Hermione, Bill, Charlie, Fleur, and one other woman he couldn't place, came through the Floo. Each of them had the same reaction, freezing in place at the sight of two people long gone from their lives.

Fred, being Fred, decided to revert to his Dementor form to "inspire a reaction". Unsurprisingly, everyone but Harry and George jumped back and screamed.

"Really, my brother," George remarked, "you truly are the same soul you always were."

Harry smirked at the truth behind that statement.

"Hey, guys," Harry called out. "Long time no see. How has life been?"

Hermione was the first to break out of her shock.

"Harry?"

"It's me. How have the past 40 years been, Hermione?"

The background activities in the room resumed. Hermione grabbed a nearby _Quibbler_.

"You absolute idiot! You spent 40 years with demons sucking your soul, and you are asking me how I am? Have you lost your mind?"

Each syllable was punctuated with a hit over the head from the paper. Raising his hands in defence, Harry replied.

"I'm not an idiot, Hermione. I went to the healers, and they helped me get my mind back. I'm still not able to do that much physically though."

Seeing that he was okay and that he was telling the truth, Hermione stopped hitting him and pulled him into a hug.

"We need to talk," Hermione whispered into his ear. "In private."

Pulling back, Hermione continued her rant.

"And for some reason, you decided to turn a dementor into Fred? How did you pacify it!"

Harry sighed.

"I only want to say this once, and I don't know everyone here."

Noticing the pointedness of his comment, the unknown woman introduced herself.

"Hello. I am Elena Codreanu," she said in a mild accent. "I am Charlie's wife. I worked with him for many years. If you want me to keep a secret, I will."

Harry nodded. He had never met her or had any idea what motivated her, but maybe Hermione would know. Judging by the way she held herself, she had been either a medic or on the more political side of the war. Taking a risk, Harry decided that she would more likely have been a politician. Harry drummed his fingers on the table.

"Before I do anything, I would like to know what happened during the 40 years I was stuck in Azkaban."

Hermione caught the signal. In their fourth year, they had developed a signal that they wanted to talk in private. This particular varition meant outside, usually by the Black Lake. It had been useful during the time between the drawing of names and the end of the first task, when Ron had been more annoying than usual.

"I can tell you, Harry. It would be easier in the archives, but… " She turned to look at the Weasleys. Molly's eyes dawned with a look of recognition.

"Of course, dears. Take all of the time that you need. We'll still be here."

Hermione stood. Immediately, she dragged Harry to the Floo. Throwing a handful of powder in, she called out "Archive". Harry followed her through the Floo.

Before Hermione could start the tale, Harry took her arm and Apparated to the Ravenclaw Manor's sitting room. Hermione looked around in bewilderment.

"Where are we?" she asked. As far as she knew, Harry had never owned any houses other than Grimmauld Place after Sirius had died in the war twenty years ago. This, however, was a well-maintained, untouched sitting room that she had never been in, not throughout all of her visits as Minister.

"We are at Potter Manor," Harry replied. "I've been here the past few days, recovering. I need to get Luna as well, she'll also want to hear this tale."

Hermione stood in silence. So much she hadn't known about him, and about to learn all of it. Just… why did Luna Lovegood of all people need to be there?


End file.
